Poke'Gene: The Story of Clyde and Aiden
by Vaesinis
Summary: 50 years after Red/Blue, the world of Pokemon has fallen into dark times. Clyde and Aiden begin their Pokemon journey in search of fame and glory, but instead find harsh rivals, violent gangs and a conspiracy codenamed "Poke'Gene". Rated T for Terrorism
1. Prologue

Prologue

He was being chased. He didn't know by who, but there were numerous possible reasons why, far too many for his frantic mind to list as he ran for his life. Behind him, he could hear the heavy footfalls of his pursuers, and he urged his scrawny legs to move faster. Row upon row of plain white cubicle walls flew past him on either side as he weaved through the dark, empty office like a rat in a maze. Behind him, the footsteps grew ever louder, and he could swear that he heard the heavy breaths of a bloodthirsty beast.

As he left the main office space and entered along hallway, he began to fumble inside his lab coat, eventually removing the red and white sphere that was latched onto his belt. He pressed a button, and the device sprang open with a flash of white light that coalesced into a short, wiry caricature of a human with blue hair, pink skin and a white body.

"Mime!" the creature exclaimed happily as it jogged alongside its master.

"Shut up!" shouted the man hysterically. "Use barrier to make sure that whatever is chasing me doesn't get past this hallway!"

"Mime!" said the creature with a nod as it stopped running and turned around, placing its hand out in front it. As it began to wave its hands, a shining, clear barrier materialized in the air, like a thick wall of gleaming glass. No sooner had the barrier been put up, however, than a dark shadow leapt into the hallway and began to barrel through it. But even as he saw his pursuer chasing after him, the man felt more secure now than he had before; it would take the monster quite some time to break through his Mr. Mime's defenses, and by that time he would be long gone and—

"Use brick break!" Someone shouted, and the man felt his heard sink as the as the sound of shattering glass filled the hallway, followed shortly afterwards by a pained yell. He didn't even bother to look backwards to see what had happened to his pokémon, keeping his eyes fixed firmly forward as he flung open the door at the end of the hallway and ran into the building's lobby.

He got two yards into the room before something tackled him from behind, screeching inhumanly as its inertia drove them across the room before pinning him to the outer wall. He tried to squirm out from under its hold, but it pressed him hard against the stone, slowly squeezing the breath out of him.

"Gentle," said the voice the man had heard in the hallway. "Don't make it hard for him to talk. I want answers out of him." The pressure eased, but his heart only beat faster.

"What do you want with me?" asked the man, panting from the exertion of both the run and primal terror.

"Answers, Dr. Parker" said the voice.

"About what?"

"Everything you know about the Poke'gene project."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" professed Parker as drops of sweat began to trickle down his forehead.

"Don't lie to me, Doctor," warned the voice, and the claw against Parker's back began to press down harder. "Tell me everything you know about the project."

"I can't!" screamed Dr. Parker. "And just who the hell are you, anyways?"

"I'm the one asking the questions!" shouted the voice. "Now tell me: what is the Poke'gene project?" Before Parker could reply, they both heard the sound of dozens of heavy boots coming from the stairwell.

"Security!" someone far away yelled, and Parker couldn't help but start to laugh.

"Better late than never," chuckled the Doctor hysterically. "Looks like you won't be making out of here alive, mister." The voice went silent, and the for a few heartbeats that seemed like an eternity, the only sound in the room was the pounding of the guards' feet as they rushed up the stairwell.

"I'll tell you what," Parker taunted again. "Put me down, return your pokémon, and I'll try to put in a good word for you with the boss."

Another few heartbeats.

"I've got a better idea," said the voice softly. "Tell me your boss's name, and I'll let you live."

"Ha! Like I'd tell you that!" shouted Parker defiantly.

"Too bad," said the voice remorselessly. "I don't have time for this anymore. Chomp: window." Parker was released and fell to the ground as whatever was holding him walked over to the nearest glass wall that looked out upon the city and shattered it.

"What do you think you'll be able to do?" asked Parker as he picked himself up and turned to face his attacker. "Security will be here any second, and when they do, you'll be…" When he saw the face that belonged to the voice, his heart froze and the warmth drained from his face. "By Arceus…not _you_," was all he was able to say before a hard strike connected with his temple, sending him crumbling to the floor in a heap.

"Grab him," ordered the man. "We're taking him with us."

"Chomp," said his pokémon obediently as it gathered the man's collar in its jaws and lifted him up off the floor as though he were a ragdoll. His trainer quickly climbed onto the pokémon's back, and the guards burst through the door to the lobby just as the pair leapt through the broken window and into the night, the captured doctor dangling in the air.

As they flew away from the scene, the man took a radio out of his coat and pressed the transmission button. "Use explosion," he ordered into the device, and the Electrodes he had places within the building detonated. He looked back as the structure's support beams were blown apart, and the tower began to collapse in a cloud of debris and flames behind them.


	2. Registration

Registration

"Aiden! Aiden! Time to get up!"

Gradually, Aiden pried his eyes open, peeked out at the still rising sun, and closed his eyes. Something nagged at the back of his mind, something with an indistinct feeling of importance, but he yawned it off. He felt more tired than usual and vaguely remembered not being able to go to sleep the previous night. Something about being too excited…or maybe mother's chili.

"Aiden!" his mother shouted again from downstairs. "Wakey Wakey!"

Yeah, probably the chili: that always kept his stomach up. With visions of a delicious bowl of beans swirling in his half conscious mind, Aiden rolled his face onto his pillow and tried to fall back asleep.

"Wake up, Aiden! Today's the big day, sweetie!"

Aiden bolted upright in his bed as realization dawned on him. Today was the day. THE DAY. He looked at his clock again: six forty-two. He was supposed to meet Clyde at his house at seven so they could go to the lab together.

"Dang it!" he shouted as he shot out of bed like an overanxious gazelle. "I'm going to be late!" Luckily he had spent his previous restless night packing and organizing his clothes and gear, so he was able to quickly throw on the outfit he had laid out for himself, hastily ramming his last leg down his pants as he hopped out the door. "Coming Mom!" he shouted as he ran down the stairs.

"There's my young man," she said with a smile as he jumped the last down steps and landed in the foyer. "Do you want some breakfast before you go?"

"No thank you, Mom," he said as he hurriedly slipped into his shoes. "I'm late enough as it is! I don't have time for breakfast!"

"Now, now, honey," his mother protested. "There's always time for breakfast." But before she was finished with her sentence, he had already bounded out the door and down the road. She sighed to herself, smiled and shook her head. "They grow up so fast."

* * *

Aiden sprinted down the road, the thought of being late on the most important day of his life snapping at his heels like hungry wolves. He nearly collided with Clyde's door when he reached it. As he knocked franticly and waited for a reply, a nervous stillness overcame him. He fought down the rapid beating of his heart until, after what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened.

"Oh, hello Aiden," Mrs. Bitz said with a warm smile.

"Hello," panted Aiden. "Is Clyde up yet?"

"No, I think he's still sleeping. If you want, I can go wake him up." But Aiden was already off and halfway up the stairs. He burst into Clyde's room like a hurricane and waded through the piles of clothes, toy soldiers and old newspapers until he reached his still slumber friend.

"Wake up!" shouted Aiden, but his friend stayed still. Aiden then grabbed his shoulders and shook him, but all the slumbering boy did was grumble and roll over. "Dang it, Clyde," said Aiden. He walked over to the blackout curtains and yanked them open. As the bright morning light flooded the room, Clyde sprung upright, his arms shielding his eyes as if the light caused him physical pain.

"Dammit, Aiden!" he yelled. "Watcha doin that for?"

"Get up and get dressed," Aiden said. "Or we're going to be late!"

"Late to what, mate?" Clyde said.

Aiden's arms flailed in frustration as he shouted "To trainer registration! Don't tell me you've forgotten already!"

Realization and a smile dawned on Clyde's face. "Oh. Right. That. Give me a tick, mate, and I'll meet you outside, okay?" Aiden sighed and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later, Clyde joined Aiden outside of his house. "Love you too, mum!" he shouted back into the house. "No worries, I'll be back later for my stuff. Later. And just put Dad's package on the table so I can open it as soon as I get home." He smiled at Aiden. "Ready?"

Aiden sighed. "Can we just go already?"

Clyde smiled back. "Loosen up, mate. Stress can kill you."

* * *

When the two reached the Viridian City Pokémon League Center, a line had already formed in front of the trainer registration counter. They took their place in the back of the line as Aiden anxiously watched the kids in front of them turn in their applications.

"Gah," he complained. "We should have gotten here sooner."

"Dude, we're fine," said Clyde. "Just relax. You'll get your turn."

"But what if they run out of charmanders?" retorted Aiden as a boy walked away from the counter, his new squirtle trotting alongside him happily.

"They give them out at random," Clyde reminded him. "You would have had got just as much chance as getting one now as you would have five minutes ago." Another boy walked away, a happy smile on his face as a charmander clung to his shoulder. "Besides, no matter how you look at it, any partner you get is going to suck compared to mine."

Aiden wasn't listening, his attention completely focused on the boy in front of him who had finished filling out his application and was now receiving his first pokémon. The boy chose one of the poke'balls out of the tray and, his face filled with anticipation, opened it. A bulbasaur appeared in a flash of bright light, and the boy's spirit's fell.

"Good luck on your journey," said the official as the boy walked away, disappointed.

"Bad luck, eh Mick?" Clyde said with a chuckle as the new trainer walked past him.

"Shut up, Clyde," Mick shot back.

"Next." Aiden stepped forward, quickly presenting the man with his with application. The man took the form and scanned it. "Everything looks to be in order," he said as he stamped the form, then grabbed a small box from underneath the table and handed it to Aiden. "This is your poke'vice. You'll find the instructions inside the box. And it seems you qualify for a welfare starter. Please pick a poke'ball from the tray." Aiden stared at the collection of unmarked poke'balls with apprehension, then moved his hand towards one and wrapped his fingers around it. He hesitated for a few second, poke'ball in hand, before pressing the button and releasing the pokémon.

"Char!" his new partner exclaimed as it materialized in a flash of white light, and Aiden smiled.

"Good going, mate!" said Clyde as he slapped Aiden on the back. "Looks like today is your lucky day."

"Thanks…" said Aiden as he rubbed his stinging shoulder blade.

"And now it's my turn," said Clyde as he presented the official with his own application form. "Name's Clyde Bitz. I don't need a welfare starter, just my 'vice." The man looked over the paper and nodded.

"Okay then," he said as he handed Clyde another small box. "Both of you, good luck on your journeys."

"Thank you," said Aiden.

"Let's go home and celebrate!" exclaimed Clyde as he threw his arm over Aiden's shoulder and started to drag him back home.

"Char!" agreed the charmander happily.

* * *

Clyde flung open the door to his house and shouted, "Say hello to the two newest official pokémon trainers!"

"Congratulations," said Mrs. Bitz brightly.

"We're so proud of you," added Aiden's mother as she gave her son a tight hug.

"I didn't know that you were going to be here mom," said Aiden as he returned the embrace.

"Well, we figured that you'd rather head out on your journey as soon as possible, so I brought you your things," she said, holding up a large backpack.

"Journey second, breakfast first," said Clyde as he set down at the table. "Can't start on my road to fame and glory on an empty stomach."

"You're just like your father, I swear," observed his mother with a wry smile as she set a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of him. "Oh, and speaking of your father, let me go get his package."

"Thanks, mom," said Clyde as he dug into the food.

"There's some for you, too, dear," said Aiden's mother as she pointed to another plate.

"Thanks mom," he said gratefully.

"Was the center crowded?" asked Clyde's mother as she came back into the room carrying a small parcel.

"No, not really," said Clyde in between bites.

"I remember before the Reform Act, when it was the city's gym," his mother said wistfully. "A lot has changed since then. I remember when there were gyms all over the country, and badges, and when your father was still League Champion."

"I would not know, mom," Clyde reminded her. "That was all before I was born."

"Sorry," she said with a light laugh. "To me, it seems like you were just a baby yesterday." Clyde rolled his eyes as he swallowed his last forkful of eggs.

"Alright," said Clyde eagerly as he picked up the parcel and unwrapped it, revealing the poke'ball inside. "Let's meet my new partner," he said with a huge grin as he opened the ball, releasing a flash of bright light.

"Gible!" the pokémon shouted happily as it materialized.

"Hey there, Gible," said Clyde as he bent down to talk to it face to face. "How do you feel like becoming the partner of the next great League Champion?"

"Gible!" it shouted again as it jumped onto Clyde's head.

"Awesome," said Clyde as he stood up. "So, now that that's settled, let's check out these new toys they gave us." Aiden nodded, picked up the box that the official had given him and opened it. Inside was a small, electronic device with a large screen. There was also a small instructional booklet, which he took out and started to read out loud.

"'Congratulations new trainer,'" Aiden read while Clyde began to play with his new gadget. "'To demonstrate your becoming an official member of the Pokémon League, we hereby present you with this Pokémon Trainer Personal Device, or poke'vice.'"

"Sounds dumb," observed Clyde as he strapped the thing to his wrist. "But looks cool."

"'Your poke'vice is not only a symbol of your status as an official trainer,'" continued Aiden, "'but also a useful tool in your upcoming journey. Presenting your poke'vice at a Pokémon League Center will allow you access to free lodging and medical care for your pokémon, as well as access to the center's supply shops, where you can purchase medicine, poke'balls, food and other supplies for your journey using credits from your personal account stored in your poke'vice. In addition to a one thousand credit introduction bonus, you can earn more credits by winning battles against other trainers with a poke'vice and winning official Pokémon League events.'"

"Get paid for kickin ass? Hell yeah," remarked Clyde.

"Language," scolded his mother.

Aiden ignored them both and kept on reading. "'The poke'vice also has a poke'dex feature which contains information on every species of known pokémon. However, the most important function of your poke'vice is its ranking system, which records your records of wins and losses and synchs them with the main Pokémon League database. At the end of each season, the top one-hundred trainers will be called to Victory Road to participate in the Pokémon League Tournament to determine next year's League Champion. Wins and losses are counted for both official battles between other trainers with a poke'vice, and for participation in official event competitions, which you can find further information on in your poke'vice's database.'"

"Sweet," said Clyde as he started to click buttons randomly. "I'm going to see where and when the closest one is. We're going to go totally ape shi—"

"Clyde!" yelled his mother.

"'The poke'vice also has basic functions to help you as you travel, such as a cell phone, watch, alarm, regional maps, GPS and nightlight,'" finished Aiden as he closed the book. "Sounds like an interesting little doohickey."

"Found it!" announced Clyde loudly. "It's at the entrance to Viridian Forest in two hours."

"We'd better get going, then," said Aiden as he strapped his poke'vice on his wrist.

"Don't forget your things," said his mother as she handed him his backpack. "And you forgot to pack this."

"I can't believe I almost forgot it!" exclaimed Aiden as he took his favorite hat and placed it firmly on top of his head. "Thanks mom."

"You're welcome, dear," she said, and the two hugged.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Clyde's mom as her son picked up his own backpack. "I want to give you something special." She left the room for a minute, then came back carrying a black jacket.

"Dad's jacket?" said Clyde in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"He told me to give it to you in the letter that came with Gible," said his mother. "Maybe you'll see him on your journey and be able to thank him in person."

"Here's to hoping," said Clyde as he put on the jacket and gave his mother a hug.

"Well," said Mrs. Bitz as the mothers released their sons. "You'd better get going. You don't want to miss your first event."

"Thanks again, mom," said Aiden as he opened the door.

"Love you guys," said Clyde as they stepped outside.

"Keep in touch!"

"Stay safe!"

"We will!"

The mothers watched their sons fade into the distance, then closed the door and went back inside.

"Can you believe how quickly those two grew up?" remarked Aiden's mom.

"Hard to imagine, isn't it?" agreed Mrs. Bitz mom as she turned on the television.

"Our top story today," announced the news anchor. "Last night, an office building in Celadon was bombed by terrorists, causing the building to collapse, killing everyone inside and damaging several nearby structures. The police have no leads on this latest in a string of unannounced unattributed terrorist attacks in the Kanto region."

"Does it scare you that we're letting our babies go out alone into a world like that," asked Aiden's mother as they watched footage of the destroyed building.

"Yes, but they're old enough to take care of themselves," Clyde's mother assured her. "It's not like they're ten."

* * *

By the time Clyde and Aiden arrived at the entrance to Viridian Forest, a small crowd had already gathered outside. They were mostly kids from town who had been their classmates, and more than a few harsh glares were thrown in Clyde's direction.

"Look who showed up," said Mick venomously. Aiden ignored the taunt and looked the other way, but Clyde took the bait.

"Hey there, Mick," greeted Clyde. "How're you enjoying your 'not charmander'?"

"Shut up, Clyde," said Mick. "Today, I'm going to put you in your place."

"Aww, that's sweet of you, offering to help me win," said Clyde. Mick balled his hands into fists and started to walk towards Clyde, but some other boys held him back.

"Wait for the event," said one of them. "Then we can show him."

"I'm going to kick your ass, Clyde!" promised Mick. "I'm going to show everyone that you're nothing but talk."

"And I'm going to show you just who the better man is, Mick," said Clyde with a grin that galled his enemy. "Until then, have fun." Mick and his friends fumed for a few seconds before turning and walking away in a huff, and Clyde returned to Aiden with a pleased smile on his face.

"Did you really have to do that?" asked Aiden.

"No," admitted Clyde. "But it was fun." Before Aiden could make a remark, another person approached them.

"Hi!" said a girl that neither Clyde nor Aiden had seen before. She had bright blonde, almost yellow hair, except for the tips, which looked like they had been dyed black. She was wearing a bright yellow shirt with a black mini skirt, and had a smile that was almost inhumanly bright.

"Hi…" replied Aiden hesitantly.

"Were those guys friends of yours?" she asked Clyde.

"Not really," answered Clyde. "We were classmates."

"Ah-ha, I see," she said. "It looks like they don't like you too much."

"Then why would you think that they're our friends?" asked Aiden, puzzled. The girl shrugged.

"Iono," she said. "So, is this your first event?"

"Yep," said Clyde. "Just got registered today."

"Congratulations!" said the girl loudly, drawing more than a few stares, which she ignored. "I remember my first event: it was really fun."

"Did you win?" asked Aiden.

"Nope!" she said in a cheerful tone. "I got trounced."

"Well, I don't plan on letting that happen to me," said Clyde. "I'm going to begin my journey with a victory."

"Wow, pretty confident, aren't you?"

"More like arrogant, but yeah, he tends to be like that," said Aiden.

"That's good. I like a guy with confidence," she said with a wink that left Clyde momentarily speechless. Before either of the boys could say something else, a loud voice drowned out everything else.

"May I have your attention please?" asked a man with a megaphone and the logo of the Pokémon League on his windbreaker. "Welcome to the Viridian Forest event! I'm going to quickly go over the rules before we start. This is a racing event: the first trainer to cross the finish line on the other side of the forest wins. Since this is the first event for most of you, there will be a limit of one pokémon per trainer that is to keep kept out of its poke'ball for the duration of the race. If your pokémon faints, then your poke'vice's screen will turn black and you will be disqualified. Are there any questions?"

"Well, good luck, boys," said the girl with a bright smile. "I hope to see you both at the finish line."

"Same to you," said Aiden.

"No? Okay then," said the event coordinator. "On my mark…"

"Hey! What's your name?" asked Clyde.

"Get set…"

"How bout I tell you if you win?" said the girl coyly.

"You're on," replied Clyde.

"GO!" shouted the coordinator, and all of the crowd's poke'vices beeped loudly to signal the beginning of the event as the trainers rushed into the forest.


	3. Viridian Forest Part 1

Viridian Forest Part 1

As soon as they were inside the forest, the trainers began to disperse through the dense trees, and soon Clyde and Aiden found themselves running alone. Suddenly, their poke'vices began to flash and said in an artificial voice, "_Please release your pokémon. Please release your pokémon. Please release your..._"

"Oh, almost forgot," said Clyde with a chuckle as he and Aiden let Gible and Charmander out. The flashing warnings ceased and were replaced by a display of their pokémon's battle status.

"Interesting," said Aiden as he examined the screen.

"Are you gonna stare at your arm all day?" asked Clyde impatiently. "We've got a race to win, you know."

"You do realize that this isn't a team event, right?" asked Aiden.

"True," agreed Clyde. "We should probably split up, then."

"How bout you go left and I'll go right," suggested Aiden.

"You sure you'll be okay by yourself?" asked Clyde with a sneer.

"I'll be fine," Aiden assured him. "It's you everyone wants to kick the crap out of for the stuff you pulled on them back in school." Clyde chuckled.

"Not my fault that they've got no sense of humor," he said as he started running down the path on the left, Gible clinging to his shoulder. "See you on the other side!" Aide watched him go, then took off in the other direction, following the map on his poke'vice.

"Now we won't have to worry about everyone else ganging up on us," Aiden explained to Charmander as his partner ran alongside him. "They'll all be going after Clyde."

"Char?" said the pokémon worriedly.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Aiden assured it. "And if he's not…well, let's just say that he's got it coming."

* * *

Clyde ran through the underbrush, blissfully humming a song as he hopped over fallen logs and thorny bushes. Gible hung onto the collar of his jacket, giggling giddily as the wind rushed past his head.

"You pumped for our first event, Gible?" asked Clyde.

"Gible!" his pokémon replied excitedly.

"Me, too, mate," agreed Clyde as he ducked under a low hanging branch. "Can't wait to run into our first opponent and beat the ever-loving shit out of them, eh?"

"Gible!" his partner screamed enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit!" said Clyde as he began to instead sing the song loudly as he ran. Gible joined in, adding its shrill screech to the tune as the grating disharmony drifted through the forest. The sound carried itself to a nearby hive of Beedrill, where the incessant cacophony stirred them into a rage as they swarmed out of their nests in search of the disturbance's source.

* * *

Aiden kept on checking his map to make sure he was on the right path as they made their way through the forest. "We're making great time," he told Charmander, who let out a happy yip. "At this rate, we'll—"

"Hey you!" said a boy, blocking the path ahead of them. "I challenge you to a battle."

"Alright," said Aiden. "Charmander, go!"

"Get him, Caterpie!" shouted the boy, and a small green worm started to crawl forward menacingly.

"Huh?" said Aiden. "You're going to fight me with a Caterpie?"

"Don't look down on us!" said the boy angrily. "Caterpie, use string shot!" A line of silk squirted out of the bug's mouth and stuck to Charmander's feet, sticking them to the ground.

"Um…" was all that Aiden could say as Charmander looked down at his sticky fit with a puzzled expression before starting to tear off the string with its claws. "Alright, then…" said Aiden as his pokémon easily freed itself. "Charmander, use ember." Charmander took a deep breath and then exhaled, spewing a shower of small flames at its opponent.

"Caterpie!" yelled the boy in distress at the flames peppered the small bug, leaving small scorch marks across its body. Caterpie's status reading on the boy's poke'vice quickly fell from healthy to disabled before blacking out, singling the end of the fight.

"That was a good fight," said Aiden as the other trainer returned the burned Caterpie to its poke'ball. "But you really shouldn't go around attacking people when you're at such a disadvantage."

"I'll just train harder for next time," said the boy with a depressed sigh.

"Well, good luck to you," said Aiden as he took off down the path again, Charmander shaking off the last of the sticky silk before catching up with him.

"You know," Aiden said to his partner as they ran. "I kinda feel guilty about doing that…Poor little guy didn't have a chance."

"Char," his pokémon agreed.

"But, he was the one who challenged me," added Aiden. "So I didn't really have a choice, I guess…But then again—"

"Rattata, use quick attack!" A purple blur leapt out of the bushes alongside the road and ambushed Charmander, knocking it to the ground.

"Dang it," said Aiden as Charmander picked himself up. The enemy trainer stepped out of the bushes, a satisfied grin on his face.

"We've got you now!" said the attacker. "Use tackle!" The Rattata leapt at its target with a threatening hiss.

"Charmander, use scratch!" ordered Aiden, and his partner swiped at the oncoming attacker, hitting it in the face and driving it back. "Now, ember!" Before the Rattata could recover, a barrage of burning sparks rained down on it, singing its fur. The purple rodent shrieked in pain before passing out, its trainer's poke'vice turning black.

"No!" yelled the boy as he ran forwards to snuff out the small fires in his pokémon's fur.

"It's rude to ambush people," said Aiden as he rubbed the back of his head. "But…yeah…see you later." He took off again, Charmander trotting besides him faithfully. As they left the second defeated trainer behind, Aiden turned to his partner and said, "You know, this is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be…"

* * *

"Our courage will pull us through!" Clyde sang shrilly. "You teach me and I'll teach… what's that buzzing sound?" Clyde turned around just in time to see a giant bee with arms like lances swooping down on his from out of the sky. Clyde let out a surprised yelp as he threw himself to the ground as the Beedrill flew over him, missing him by a few inches. He started to pick himself up just in time to see a second attack flying straight at him. "Gible! Headbutt!"

The small shark leapt forward, colliding with the giant insect and knocking it back into a tree. As the bug fell limply to the ground, Gible scuttled back to its owner as Clyde stood up and dusted himself off.

"The hell was that?" he yelled angrily, but the buzzing only go louder. He turned around to see a swarm of Beedrill flying towards him, too many to count, their spikes dripping with poison and malice.

"Arceus dammit…" cursed Clyde as the swarm closed in. "We can't fight that many…Use sandstorm!" Gible opened its mouth, and a cloud of swirling sand shot out and enveloped the forest around them. The Beedrill tried to veer away and avoid the gale of dirt, but the ones closest to Clyde were caught up in it as the grit tore through their fine wings, robbing them of their flight as they fell to the ground.

Eyes closed and his shirt pulled over his nose and mouth to keep out the dust, Clyde ran heedlessly through the forest, trying to lose the swarm underneath the brown cloud. But as he ran blind, he tripped over a root and careened into a tree trunk, stunning him as he fell backwards. He groaned, trying to move as the sandstorm subsided as suddenly as it had begun, leaving him in plain sight. The Beedrill quickly spotted their target and dove in for the kill.

* * *

"No!" shouted the trainer distressingly. "Bulbasaur!" She leapt forward, picking the smoking pokémon up and cradling it in her arms as her poke'vice blacked out.

"Well, I've got to get going," said Aiden as he and Charmander resumed their run. "But that was a good match. Good luck in your training!" When they were a little further down the path, Aiden turned to his partner and said, "Man, there's a lot of trainers taking this route, aren't there?"

"Char," the pokémon agreed with a tired sigh.

"Well," said Aiden as he checked their location on his poke'vice. "We're about halfway there, so hopefully we won't run into as many—"

"Stop right there!" another trainer yelled, and Aiden inwardly cursed. "Let's battle!"

"Okay, seriously," said Aiden, "Isn't this supposed to be a race? Why are so many people laying in wait on the side of the road?"

"Shut up and fight!" shouted the trainer. "Pidgey, use tackle!" The small bird perched on his shoulder took off, heading straight for Charmander.

"Use ember," ordered Aiden, and Charmander shot small flames at the incoming enemy, disorienting it as it started tumbling through the air. "Now, scratch!" The red lizard leapt at the bird as it started to fall from the air, swiping at the Pidgey with its claws and knocking it to the ground.

"Dammit!" cursed the trainer as his poke'vice went black.

"Good battle," said Aiden wearily. "Good luck in your training and all that. Let's go, Charmand—"

"Hold it!"

"Oh for the love of…" groaned Aiden.

"I want a battle!" shouted another trainer who ran up to them from behind.

"No, forget it!" said Aiden as he took off running. "This is a race, so if you want to fight me, then catch me!" The other trained looked stunned for a second, then chased after him, shouting for Aiden to stop and fight, but his cries were ignored.

"These people are crazy," Aiden remarked to Charmander as the two desperately tried to get away from the pursuing trainer. Instead, they ran into another trainer blocking the path ahead of them. "Oh come on! Seriously?"

"Weedle, use poison sting!" shouted their new opponent, and the small bug jumped at Charmander. Exhausted from all of the battles and running, Charmander was unable to dodge the attack, and the Weedle's stinger stabbed into its shoulder.

"Dang it!" said Aiden as Charmander grabbed the bug, pulled it off and, without waiting for a command, blasted it with embers. But even with its opponent defeated, Charmander began to wobble before falling over, and Aiden had to catch his partner before it hit the ground.

"Not good," said Aiden as he checked Charmander's status on his poke'vice to see that, not only was his health dangerously low, but he had also been poisoned by the Weedle's attack. With the other trainer that was chasing him drawing closer, Aiden carefully picked his pokémon up and carried him into the forest, hoping to lose his pursuer.

"Hang in there, buddy," said Aiden. "Well make it through this."

* * *

Clyde opened his eyes in time to see the swarm of Beedrill diving straight for his head, coming in far too fast for him to have time to dodge them all. He thought about having Gible use sandstorm again, but the attack wouldn't build up the force needed to take down a group of so many enemies in the short time they had. Every option he could think of seemed insufficient, but he refused to go down without a fight. With grim determination, he stood up, gritted his teeth and stared down the oncoming threat.

"Gible!" Clyde started to order. "Use—"

"Discharge!" someone shouted, and an intense bright flash lit up the sky, and Clyde had to shield his eyes from the harsh glow. When the light had subsided, he lowered his arms to see the swarm of Beedrill crash to the ground as charred, smoldering husks.

"The hell?" he muttered to himself.

"It looked like you needed some help," someone said, and Clyde looked up to see the girl he had talked to before the event sitting on a tree branch above him, the Raichu perched on her shoulder crackling with residual electricity from the attack. "Though I am a bit disappointed that you couldn't take care of yourself."

"Shut up!" shouted Clyde. "I had that totally under control!"

"Didn't look that way from up here," she said. "But I have to admit that you've got guts for trying to take on that many Beedrill on your own. Most people would have just run for their lives."

"I don't back down from fights," said Clyde.

"I'm not sure if that's courageous or stupid," she said with a small giggle jumped down out of the tree. "But it is cute. You're fun. Let's hang out after the event, okay?"

"Tell me your name, first," said Clyde.

"Nope; you have to win the event first," she reminded him. "Of course, that'll be hard to do if you keep on going the wrong way. You might want to use your map to make sure that you're on the right path."

"Huh?" said Clyde, confused, as he looked at the poke'vice on his wrist, brought up the map application and checked his location. "Oh…crap…" The girl giggled again.

"You're funny," she said as she turned to leave. "See you later!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Clyde called out to her. "If I was going the wrong way, then why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see who pissed off all the Beedrill with their horrible singing," she yelled back as she disappeared into the forest, leaving him standing amidst the still smoking bodies of the Beedrill hive.

"That is one weird, yet interesting girl," observed Clyde.

"Gible," his partner nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's win this thing, then," he said as he checked his map to orient himself before continuing the race.

* * *

Crouching in a ditch off the side of the path and hidden from view by a thick clump of bushes, Aiden rummaged through his backpack while Charmander groaned in pain next to him. His poke'vice was beeping loudly, warning him of his pokémon's poor condition, and he wished he could turn it off so the other trainers wouldn't be able to find him by following the noise.

"Yes," Aiden exclaimed as he pulled two small spray cans out of his backpack. He took the lid off the first one and sprayed the wound Charmander had received from the Weedle before taking the second can and spraying it over the pokémon's other wounds. Aiden then checked his poke'vice to see Charmander's poisoned condition disappear and his healthy status rise, and he let out a sigh of relief as the warning alarm ceased.

"Sorry I didn't bring another potion, buddy," Aiden apologized as his partner's health reading stabilized at half full. "I'll be sure to pack more next time, just in case. But first, we've got to get out of this crazy place." He picked Charmander up and placed him gently on his shoulder, and it held on tight to his jacket as Aiden climbed out of the ditch. At the top, he hid behind the bushes and peek between them to check to see if anyone was coming. After waiting to make sure no one was in the area, he stepped through and immediately took off running down the path.

"I think we lost them," Aiden said hopefully, checking his map to see that he was getting tantalizingly close to the finish. As he ran, the various paths that wound their way through the forest began to merge with his, like tributaries flowing into a river, and as each new path met his own, he cringed, praying to Arceus that there wouldn't come across any more trainers.

As a third path intersected with his, Aiden's luck ran out, and a boy with a Squirtle crossed his path.

"Crap," muttered Aiden.

"Well, well," said the trainer with a smile. "Looks like we get one more fight before the finish, Squirtle."

"Come on, really?" protested Aiden. "I mean, isn't this supposed to be a race?"

"Just shut up and fight," said the trainer. "Water gun!" The Squirtle shot a stream of water, and Aiden ducked to move Charmander out of its path.

"Fine then!" shouted Aiden defiantly. "Charmander, use ember!" Charmander opened its mouth to spit flames, but all that came out was black smoke and an exasperated cough.

"Pathetic," sneered the other trainer as his pokémon readied another attack.

"Out of fire, boy?" asked Aiden sympathetically as the enemy Squirtle prepared to fire. "Yeah…I don't blame you…"


	4. Viridian Forest Part 2

Viridian Forest Part 2

"Looks like we're almost there, mate," Clyde said to Gible as he looked at the map display. "On the other side of those bushes is a path, and then it's a straight shot to the finish line."

"Gible!" shouted his pokémon happily as it hung onto Clyde shoulder as he jumped over the shrubs and landed on the path.

"It took you long enough, Clyde," said one of a half dozen boys who stood in front of him, blocking his way. "We've been waiting for you."

"Oh, hey Mick," said Clyde. "You haven't gotten beaten yet?"

"No," said his former classmate. "We all decided that we'd rather teach you a lesson than worry about each other."

"Well that's not very fair," said Clyde. "This isn't supposed to be a team event; we're all supposed to be fighting each other to see who's stronger. Well, actually, we're supposed to be racing, but still…"

"We couldn't care less who wins this event," said Mick. "We just want the chance to pay you back for all the shit you pulled in school now that we have pokémon to fight you with."

"Really, now?" said Clyde. "Are you _still _mad about that thing with your sister?"

"Shut up, Clyde!" Mick yelled angrily. "Go, Bulbasaur! Vine whip!" Two long, green whips shot out of his partner's back, aimed straight for Clyde.

"Gible, dragon claw!" ordered Clyde, and Gible leapt at the vines, its hand glowing with power at it slashed at the vines, severing them. Bulbasaur screamed in pain as it withdrew what remained of its tentacles.

"Dammit!" yelled Mick. "How the hell does your Gible know that move when you've only had it for a day?"

"You see Mick," Clyde began to explain, a smug smirk on his face. "The difference between your pokémon and mine is that mine isn't a mass produced welfare starter piece of crap. He's been bred from a long line of powerful pokémon that includes the partner of a League Champion. So please, all of you can just try to take me down, and I'll be happy to show you the meaning of the word 'pedigree.'"

"You arrogant son of a bitch!" yelled Mick. "Get him!" The trainers all ordered their pokémon to attack, forcing Clyde and Gible to jump out of the way as a volley of embers, bubbles and vines flew at them.

"Sandstorm!" ordered Clyde, and Gible released a flurry of dust and dirt into the air, buffeting the incoming attacks away and chocking the air with sand.

"Dammit!" swore Mick as he tried to shield his eyes. "Where are they?!"

"Gah!" yelled Clyde in the midst of the storm. "This damn sand stings!" The swirling clouds started to subside, revealing Clyde standing in front of the other trainers frantically rubbing at his eyes.

"Attack!" ordered Mick.

"Wait," cautioned one of the other boys. "Where did his Gible go?"

Clyde looked up and smiled. "Nice catch. Now, dragon rage!" Gible jumped out of the bushes behind the group and roared as it spewed a tornado of purple flames from its mouth, catching two Charmanders and a Squirtle in the attack. The shockwave sent the pokémon sprawling, knocking them out and making their trainers' poke'vices blacked out.

"Son of a bitch!" cursed Mick as half of his allies fell and those left turned to face the threat.

"Again!" shouted Clyde. "Dragon rage!" Gible let loose another burst, taking out two of the remaining enemies, leaving only Mick's Bulbasaur standing.

"You're not getting away with this," promised Mick. "Get too close for it to use dragon range and use tackle!"

"Saur!" said his Bulbasaur as it ran head first at Gible.

"Really, Mick?" said Clyde as the pokémon closed in. "Have you forgotten already? Gible, use dragon claw!"

"Gible!" his partner shouted as its hand began to glow again. The two pokémon ran at each other, the Bulbasaur leaping forward to ram Gible, who instead swung its claw and connected with its head, sending the other pokémon flying backwards with a deep gouge running across its face.

Mick was shaking with anger as his poke'vice blacked out. "Dammit," he muttered, clenching his fists as he turned towards Clyde and started to run at him. "Damn you!" Mick threw a punch squarely at Clyde's face, which Clyde ducked underneath before driving his fist into his attacker's stomach. Mick coughed and doubled over, all the breath and force knocked out of him, as Clyde raised his elbow before bringing it down hard onto Mick's back, knocking him to the ground.

"Was that really necessary?" Clyde asked Mick while the other five trainers looked on in stunned apprehension. "You lost, and that's it; you're just going to have to deal with it. You've just got to train harder, get stronger pokémon, and then fight me. Of course, I don't plan on waiting for you to catch up or to stop getting stronger, but hey, who knows, maybe one day you'll give me a good run for my money? Stranger things have happened." He turned to walk away, motioning for his pokémon to follow him. "Come on, Gible, let's finish this race."

"Gible!" his partner shouted happily as it ran to catch up with him.

Once they were out of earshot of the other trainers, Clyde turned to the pokémon, smiled and said, "You know, after that thing with the Beedrill, I was worried that maybe we weren't cut out for this. But that was great! Good job, mate!"

"Gible!"

* * *

A torrent of water hit Aiden square in the chest, pushing him backwards into a tree and knocking Charmander off his shoulder. Aiden groaned, then looked at his partner.

"You okay, Charmander?" he asked.

"Char," the pokémon said steadily as it picked itself up and stared down its opponent.

"Without ember, we're going to have to do this in close range," explained Aiden. "Use rage!"

"Char!" his partner shouted with determination, its eyes slowly clouding with red as it ran forward.

"Take it out!" ordered the enemy trainer, and the Squirtle fired another watergun at the charging pokémon, but Charmander leapt to the side to avoid it. Still firing, the Squirtle moved the stream, trying and failing to hit its moving target. As Charmander drew in closer and the water ran out, the lizard jumped, swinging its tail at enemy pokémon's head and knocking it off its trainer's shoulders.

"Nice!" shouted Aiden as the two pokémon tumbled to the ground, Charmander pinning his enemy down while it clawed at the turtle's face. Squirtle tried to fight back, but each hit it landed on Charmander only made its rage grow stronger, and the Squirtle's face was soon covered with bruises and blood.

"Dammit!" yelled the other trainer in anger. "Enough of this! Just use watergun!" As Charmander bore down on it again, the Squirtle turned its head and let loose a jet of water that hit its target's chest. The blast knocked Charmander back to Aiden's feet, and his poke'vice began to beep loudly in warning.

"Charmander!" Aiden shouted as he bent down over his partner as it strained to stand again. "Don't push it, buddy. It's just one event."

"Char," the pokémon said defiantly as it stood shakily while, its eyes still clouded red with rage, but it fell back down again almost immediately.

"Charmander…" murmured Aiden solemnly as he watched the pokémon he had only had for a day struggle to stand. But then, something in the corner of his eye glimmered, and he turned to see the top of something plastic sticking out of a pile of leaves that Charmander had disturbed when he was knocked back.

"You're pathetic," said the enemy trainer as Charmander tried in vain to lift itself off the ground. But Aiden ignored him, quickly grabbing the item out of the leaves and pulling the cap off. As he started to spray Charmander with the can, the other boy asked, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"I found a potion that someone must have dropped," said Aiden happily as his poke'vice stopped beeping and Charmander stood up, revitalized.

"Crap," said the boy. "Quick, Squirtle! Watergun!" His pokémon obeyed, shooting a burst of water at its opponent, but Charmander was already up and running to dodge the attack. The Squirtle tried in vain to hit its target, but the fire lizard was too fast. Charmander closed the gap between them quickly, ducking underneath the stream of water and swiping the Squirtle's legs out from underneath it with its tail. As the turtle started to fall to the ground, Charmander swung at it with its fist, catching his opponent under the chin and sending it sprawling backwards. As the enemy trainer's poke'vice began to beep loudly, Charmander jumped into the air, swinging its tail down hard on the Squirtle's chest, slamming it hard against the ground.

"What?" screamed the Squirtle's trainer as his poke'vice went black.

As the red faded from Charmander's eyes, Aiden picked him up and placed it on his shoulder.

"Good job, buddy," he said as he gave his pokémon a pat on the head. "Now, let's get out of this crazy place."

"Char," agreed Charmander wearily.

* * *

With the finish line in sight, Aiden nearly cursed the universe when he saw another trainer on the path in front of him. But he let out a relieved sigh when he realized that it was just Clyde.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You pass anyone else?" asked Aiden

"Yeah," said Clyde. "I think they all ganged up to ambush me near the end, but I took them out."

"I don't think that was all of them," said Aiden. "At least half of them stopped me every few feet to fight."

"Wow, nice" said Clyde, impressed. "So…do you think that we're the only two left?"

"Probably," agreed Aiden.

"Well then," said Clyde with a mischievous grin, and Aiden felt a not of apprehension form in his stomach. "You know what that means."

"Come on, Clyde," Aiden began to plead. "Do we really have to ba—?"

"First one to the finish line wins!" he yelled as he took off running towards the edge of the forest. Aiden took a moment to chuckle before running after him.

"Ha!" yelled Clyde triumphantly as he crossed the finish line just before Aiden. "Looks like I win, mate!"

"Gible!" his partner screamed excitedly.

"Congratulations," huffed an exhausted Aiden.

"Thanks, mate," said Clyde with a huge grin as he turned to the event coordinator that was sitting nearby. "So, what do I win?"

"Win?" asked the man, puzzled.

"Yeah," said Clyde. "I won the race, so what do I get?"

"But you didn't win the race," explained the man, and Clyde's smile faded.

"What?"

"You didn't win," repeated the man. "In fact, you came in fifth and sixth."

"Then who won?" asked Aiden.

"A girl with a Raichu ," explained the man. "About ten minutes ago." Clyde felt his stomach twist.

"Did she have blonde hair with black tips?" asked Clyde.

"Yes," said the man, and Clyde swore.

"Looks like she beat you," said Aiden with a slight smile, and Clyde began to walk away in a huff.

"Screw this," said Clyde angrily.

"Hey, wait," said the coordinator, and Clyde stopped. "You must be the boy with the gible she mentioned. She wanted me to give you a message."

"Oh?" said Clyde. "Wouldn't happen to be her name, would it."

"No," said the man. "But she said that she'd meet you at the Pewter Pokémon League Center."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Aiden. "We need to head there anyways."

"Alright then," said Clyde, his grin slowly returning. "Race you there?"

"Hell no," said Aiden firmly.


	5. Pewter City

Pewter City

"Ah, 'Pewter City'," said Clyde as he read the welcoming sign on the edge of town. "'The City of Rocks.' Wait, seriously? Rocks? Doesn't everyplace have rocks?"

"Let's just find the Center," said Aiden, exhausted.

"Right," said Clyde. "Gotta find that girl and give her a piece of my mind."

"Sure you do," said Aiden with a sigh.

They found the building easily; it was a large structure with the words "Pokémon League Center" drawn over the faded outline of the word "Gym." As they approached the Center, Clyde stopped and pointed towards a large boulder to the side of the door.

"Hey, Aiden!" he said excitedly. "Look: a rock!"

"That's nice," said Aiden without looking as he opened the doors and stepped inside, taking a moment to savor the refreshing feeling of air conditioning before walking over to the lobby's counter. "One room for the night, please," he said to the receptionist.

"Of course, sir," said the lady with a smile. "If you'd please just register your poke'vice here." She pointed to a scanning machine next to the counter, and Aiden held his arm underneath it until it beeped. "Thank you very much Mr…Aiden. If your pokémon require medical attention, I can take them now."

"Please," said Aiden as he handed over Charmander's poke'ball.

"Same for me," said Clyde as he approached the counter and handed her Gible's poke'ball.

"Okay then," said the woman as she took both the poke'balls. "Your room is 4B. If you need anything, my name is Joy. Enjoy your stay in Pewter."

"Thank you," said Aiden as he and Clyde turned and started to walk away, but they didn't get very far before they were accosted by a familiar face.

"Hey!" greeted the girl who they had met in Viridian Forest enthusiastically. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"You!" shouted Clyde. "Why the hell did you butt in back there?"

"Sheesh," said the girl. "Are you _still_ upset about that? Is your ego hurt? Do you want me to kiss it and make you feel better?" She winked coyly, and Clyde's eye started to twitch.

"Congratulations on winning," said Aiden before Clyde started yelled again. "I'm Aiden, and this is Clyde. What's yours?"

"Oh, nice try," she said. "But neither of you won, did you?"

"I would have if it weren't for you," insisted Clyde.

"You came in fifth," Aiden reminded him.

"Yeah," said Clyde. "Because of her."

"How did saving you from a swarm of murderous Beedrill and then telling you that you were headed in the wrong direction make you lose the race?" asked Aiden. Clyde opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again due to lack of a point. The girl giggled.

"You guys are funny," she said. "So, what ranks are you guys now? Coming in fifth is still pretty good for your first event."

"Hmm," said Aiden as he raised his poke'vice. "I don't know; I haven't checked yet." He brought up his trainer information on the screen and then read his rank number. "Ick. I'm 8796th."

"Ha!" said Clyde as he started to bring up his own number. "And here I thought that you'd be better than that, mate."

"It's actually not that bad," said the girl reassuringly. "There have been a lot of new trainers registering ever since the Reform Act. At least your number is under nine-thousand."

"Okay the, how did you do, Clyde?" asked Aiden.

"Definitely better than you did," said Clyde confidently as his information screen appearance, but as he read it, his face fell a little. "Actually, you know what, this isn't supposed to be a contest. It's more a personal thing, you know? We don't need to compare or anything, because that would be childish, and—"

"Let me see that," said Aiden as he grabbed Clyde's arm and read the number. "Wow, 9031st." Aiden and the girl started to laugh, and Clyde simmered.

"It's gotta be broken," insisted Clyde. "I came in fifth place, so I should be ranked higher than you."

"Hey, don't blame me," said Aiden. "I must've just beaten more trainers than you did."

"Whatever," grumbled Clyde.

"Aww, don't look so sad," said the girl. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"Well," said Clyde. "How bout telling me you name?"

"Ooh, you're sneaky," said the girl as she punched his shoulder playfully. "But you're not getting something like that for free; you've got to earn it."

"And how would we do that?" asked Aiden.

"Hmm," said the girl as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, I've got it! How bout this: I'll tell you my name if you guys do a favor for me. Does that sound fair?"

"Depends," said Clyde. "What kind of favor?"

"Oh, nothing big," she said. "I'd just agreed to help a friend out with something, but something else really important has come up. So if you guys agree to take my place, I'd be really grateful," she added with a wink and a coy smile.

"Well, I don't know," said Aiden. "We should find another event soon so we can raise our ranks."

"Oh, if that's what you're worried about, then this is perfect!" exclaimed the girl. "The favor I was supposed to do for him is participate in an exclusive event. So if you take my place, you can raise your rank. Everyone wins!"

"Sounds good to me," said Clyde.

"Hey, wait," objected Aiden. "We don't even know what the event is."

"Come on," pleaded the girl as she made a puppy dog pout. "Pleeeeease?"

"Yeah, come on, mate," said Clyde, trying to mimic the girl's pout. "What's the harm?" Aiden backed away a bit from Clyde's attempt at cuteness, then let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine, we'll do it," he relented.

"Yay!" said the girl excitedly. "Thank you guys so much! I really owe you one."

"How bout you start by telling us your name?" asked Clyde.

"Hmm…" said the girl thoughtfully. "Since you're being so nice to help me, how about one better?" She pressed some buttons on her poke'vice, and the boys' poke'vices dinged. "There, now we have each other's information. I'll call you tomorrow and introduce you to my friend. Until then, bye!" she said as she walked towards the day.

"Later," said Aiden as he quickly checked the trainer information on his poke'vice, "Elysia."

"Elysia, eh?" said Clyde as he looked over the information. "Hmm…hey, where does it tell you a person's rank on this thing?"

"It doesn't show someone's rank when they're more than two thousand above you," said Aiden.

"Dammit," complained Clyde. "Why not?"

"Because then idiots like you would be hunting down all the top trainers for battles and they'd never be able to catch a break," explained Aiden.

"That's stupid," scoffed Clyde. "If they're so strong, then they should love being able to fight so many people every day."

"Not everyone as insane as you are, Clyde," said Aiden with a sigh.

"Well they damn well should be," said Clyde. "The world would be a more interesting place."

"If you consider the smoldering ruins of civilization to be interesting, then yeah, sure, why not?" said Aiden as he turned and headed towards the stairs. "I'm going to go get some rest. Later."

"Pfft," snorted Clyde as he friend climbed the steps that lead to the hotel rooms. "You're no fun." Suddenly bored, Clyde started to explore the Center's first floor. Aside from the receptionist's counter, there was a lounge area where some trainers were sitting and reading, as well as a TV turned to the sports channel that failed to hold Clyde's interest. He found himself wandering into the small general supply store in one corner of the building. He browsed the aisle for a bit and purchased a few potions and an empty poke'ball using the credits on his poke'vice.

As he left the store, a middle aged man in a cheap suit he had seem talking to some of the other trainers suddenly walked up to him.

"Hey, kid!" said the man exuberantly. "You look like you're a young, smart, talented trainer." Clyde stared at him for a second.

"Go on," said Clyde thoughtfully.

"And, as an up and coming star trainer, you'll need strong pokémon to win battles with, correct?" continued the man rapidly.

"Of course," agreed Clyde.

"Well, then what would you do if you were able to purchase one of those strong pokémon right now?" asked the man.

"'Purchase,' eh?" said Clyde. "It would have to be for a really good price, cause I don't have a lot of credits at the moment…"

"Well then, you're in luck, cause have I got a deal for you!" said the man as he held up a gleaming poke'ball.

* * *

Aiden woke up the next morning with a loud yawn. He sat up and looked around the room to see that the bed next to his was a disheveled mess, which meant that Clyde was already up and about. As Aiden groggily climbed out of his bed, he wondered where his friend found all of his energy. It took him a while to get ready for the day before he left the room and went downstairs, all while still half asleep.

He found Clyde sitting in the lobby's lounge drinking a cup of coffee and looking wide awake.

"Morning, mate" said Clyde as he reached for two poke'balls lying in the chair besides his and tossed them to Aiden, who barely managed to catch them in his dazed state. "I picked those up for you." Aiden stared at the second poke'ball, confused.

"Um," said Aiden. "This isn't mine. I only have Charmander."

"I know," said Clyde. "The other is a gift. I figured you'd need an awesome pokémon to compete with me, so I bought you this last night."

"Thanks," said Aiden as he looked at the ball. "Um…what's in it?"

"It's a surprise," said Clyde as he sipped his coffee.

"How'd you get it?" asked Aiden suspiciously.

"I bought it from a guy for five-hundred credits," said Clyde with a shrug. "Pretty good deal, if you ask me." Aiden stared at him.

"You spent half of your starting money on a poke'ball a guy was selling at a center?" clarified Aiden, saying it more for himself than for Clyde.

"Don't sweat it, mate," said Clyde. "You don't have to pay me back. It's a gift; think of it as me just trying to even the playing field." Aiden was silent for a few moments, then sighed.

"Thanks," he said as he clipped the ball to his belt. "I guess."

"No worries," said Clyde as he finished his coffee. "Also, I got a message from Elysia before you came down. She wants us to meet her at the Pewter Museum of Science, wherever the hell that is."

"It's in the north of town," said Aiden, checking his map. "Well, let's get going."

"Right behind you," said Clyde as the two left the center. It turned out to be only a short walk to the museum, which was a large building set against the cliff on the edge of town.

"Okay, here's the museum," said Aiden. "Where did Elysia say that she'd meet us?"

"I don't know," shrugged Clyde. "The message just says 'Pewter Museum of Science.'" Aiden sighed.

"Well, I guess we'd better go inside," he said as they ascended the steps to the building. Inside of the large double doors was a counter with woman sitting behind it.

"Good morning" said the woman politely. "Would you two young men like tickets?"

"Not really," said Clyde.

"We're supposed to be meeting a friend here," explained Aiden. "But she didn't say exactly where she'd be. It's for some sort of trainer event or something."

"Oh," said the lady. "You must be here to help Professor Conifer. You can find him through the research entrance; just go out the doors, turn left and come around back."

"Thank you," said Aiden as he and Clyde walked back out of the museum. Once they were outside, they took a left and followed the building's outer wall until they came to a small gate. Clyde opened the gate, but before either could step through it, they were approached from behind.

"Hey!" someone shouted, and Clyde and Aiden turned to see a boy running towards them. "Wait right there!"

"Hey, I remember you," said Aiden as the boy caught up to them and stopped to catch his breath. "Back in the forest; you were the first trainer who challenged me."

"Yeah," said the boy as he struck a fighting pose, a poke'ball gripped in his hand. "And I want a rematch! I've gotten stronger since last time."

"Um…" said Aiden with a grimace. "I'd really rather not. You see, we're sort of busy right now, and—"

"I accept!" said Clyde eagerly as he took his own poke'ball off of his belt.

"Great!" exclaimed the boy as he released his pokémon. "Go, Metapod!" A green cocoon with eyes emerged from the poke'ball and stood on its end, its eyes glowering viciously at Clyde and Aiden.

"Alright, then," said Clyde. "Go, Gible!"

"Gible!" shouted the small shark-dragon.

"Let's do this!" yelled the boy. "Metapod, use harden!" The cocoon narrowed its eyes as its body gleamed with a bright light, hardening its protective shell.

"Gible, use dragon rage!" ordered Clyde, and his pokémon opened its mouth to let loose a spiraling blast of purple flames at its opponent, which sent Metapod flying backwards. It landed on the ground hard, its carapace covered in smoking burns, and the boy's poke'vice turned black.

"Metapod!" said the boy as he rushed over to his pokémon's side. "Are you okay?"

"Did you really have to do that?" Aiden asked Clyde.

"Hey, he was the one who wanted the battle," said Clyde.

"But still," said Aiden. "You didn't need to go all out on him."

"I disagree," said Clyde. "If I hadn't given him my all, then I would have been insulting the spirit he used to challenge me."

"I'm pretty sure he would have preferred an insulted spirit to a barbequed pokémon," remarked Aiden, but Clyde didn't hear the comment as he approached the boy.

"Hey, kid," said Clyde as he stood over the boy and his Metapod.

"What do you want?" asked the boy as he tried to wipe away the tears building in the corner of his eyes.

"Just wanted to say 'Nice battle'," said Clyde. "You've got spirit, kid. All you need are some stronger pokémon to match, and you'll be set." After he said that, Clyde turned to walk away, the boy staring at his back.

"That was unusually nice of you," said Aiden as the two finally stepped through the gate.

"What can I say? I like reckless kids," said Clyde, and Aiden rolled his eyes. "But didn't he seem a bit young to you, though?"

"Well," said Aiden thoughtfully. "He's got a poke'vice, which means that he's an official trainer, so he must be at least fifteen."

"Yeah," said Clyde. "But he looked younger for some reason."

"Now that you mention it, I guess," said Aiden.

"Oh well, whatever," said Clyde as they approached a door in the side of the museum and entered through it.

"Good morning, boys," said Elysia cheerfully.

"Are these the two?" asked an older man sitting in a chair behind her.

"Yep, they're the ones I told you about," said Elysia. "Clyde, Aiden, I'd like you to meet Professor Conifer."

"Hello," said Aiden as he closed the door behind them.

"Yo," said Clyde.

"Gible!" shouted Gible in greeting.

Confider frowned at them "A Gible?" he said contemptuously. "Just what rank are you two?" The boys held out their poke'vices, and his frown deepened as he read them. "Aiden, rank 8796 and Clyde, rank 8804."

"Whoa!" said Clyde excitedly. "I went up!"

"How did that happen?" asked Aiden in disbelief.

"I don't know," said Clyde. "The thing must have been broken before."

"You're proud of that rank?" said the professor mockingly as he adjusted his glasses. "Really, Elysia, I would much rather prefer if you helped me out with this task."

"Sorry," said Elysia. "But I already told you that I've got another assignment that I have to take care of. And besides, they can handle it. Promise."

"Very well," said Conifer. "Luckily there are two other qualified trainers who are going to meet me at the site, so at the very least they should be able to do the job."

"See? Everything works out fine," said Elysia cheerfully as she headed for the door. "Now I've got to go. Don't let me down, boys!"

"Bye," said Clyde with a wave as she left the room.

"So, what exactly is the event?" asked Aiden.

"Event?" said the professor as he stood up. "It's not an event. I'm searching for fossils in Mt. Moon for my research, and I need a few trainers to take care of any wild pokémon that might get in the way."

"That doesn't sound too fun," said Clyde. "I thought that there weren't that many strong pokémon in Mt. Moon."

"Not in the upper levels, no," explained the professor. "But there are also no more fossils near the surface, either. I will need you to go deeper into the caverns to find some for me, deeper than the public is normally allowed to go for safety reasons. I've gotten special clearance from the Pokémon League that will grant us access to the area, so there's nothing you need to worry about, besides the pokémon. You'll get two thousand credits per complete fossil you bring me."

"What about ranks?" asked Clyde. "I'd rather improve my standing, personally."

"I'll talk to the league afterwards and see if I can work something out," said Conifer. "If you're useful, that is."

"Sounds good," said Aiden. "When do we leave?"

"Now," said Conifer. "The other trainers I've hired should already be waiting for us at the site."

"Alright, then," said Clyde. "Let's get going!"

"Gible!" shouted Gible excitedly.


	6. Mt Moon Part 1

Mt. Moon

A tall mountain rose up in front of Clyde and Aiden as they followed Professor Conifer up the mountain pass. It was a steep trek, and the two young trainers found themselves quickly running out of breath as they made their way to the entrance mountain's elaborate cave system.

"There's not…an easier…path?" asked Aiden, panting with exertion.

"This is the old road that goes through the mountain," explained Conifer, his voice steady as he ascended without any sign of strain. "The main highway goes straight to Cerulean now, so this one has fallen into disrepair."

"Damn mountain," huffed Clyde.

"I swear, you two are pathetic," said Conifer bluntly. "Now pick up the pace; I'd like this to be only a day trip." The two trainers grumbled, but otherwise saved their breath. They continued hiking for another ten minutes before the path ahead of them finally opening up into a cave in the side of the mountain.

"It's about time," said Clyde as he shaded his eyes from the sun and squinted at their destination. "Looks like there's some guys there already."

"It appears that the others are already here," observed Conifer. "Let's hope that we haven't kept them waiting for too long."

As they approached, the figures ahead of them came into focus. They were two large men, both strongly built with imposing features. One had his hair shaved short in a military style, while the other's bald head gleamed brightly in the sunlight. Both had incredibly bored expressions on their face as they watched their pokémon, a Machamp and a Poliwrath, wrestle just outside the cave. One of them saw the group coming down the path and alerted his partner.

"Hey there, Professor!" called the bald one. "Took you long enough."

"My apologies, Otto," replied Conifer. "I hope that you and William weren't too bored."

"We kept ourselves entertained," said William as the Machamp and Poliwrath ceased their wrestling bout.

"Who are the whelps?" asked Otto.

"Rookies," explained Conifer. "The other trainer I had lined up to accompany us decided to change her plans at the last minute and instead arranged for these two to take her place."

"Hello," said Aiden as he stopped to catch his breath. "I'm Aiden, and this is Clyde." Otto stared down at them with a discerning glare.

"They look like scrawny little wimps," he observed.

"Elysia vouched for them," said Conifer with a shrug. "Though that does nothing to improve my expectations, to be honest."

"If you say so," said Otto.

"To be honest, Professor, I don't even know why you need us here," said William. "The only pokémon we saw the whole time we were waiting was that runt." He pointed to a Sandshrew that was laying in a crumpled heap just inside the cave, covered in bruises and whimpering quietly.

"Yeah," agreed Otto. "I've been through here a few times before they built the new road, and there's nothing that you shouldn't be able to handle yourself, really."

"That's because upper levels have been heavily depopulated by trainers over the years," explained Conifer as he adjusted his glasses. "The lower levels, however, serve as refuge to much stronger specimens."

"And that's what you need us for, then?" said Clyde with an eager grin as he punched his fist into his palm. "Sounds fun."

"Just try not to get in the way, kid," said Otto gruffly.

"Let's just get this started," ordered Conifer. "We've wasted enough time already."

"Roger," said William and Otto as they and the professor started into the cave, their Machamp and Poliwrath falling in behind them. Clyde followed behind them, releasing his Gible as he walked.

"Gible!" shouted his partner as it perched itself on top of Clyde's head, and the two grinned excitedly at each other. Aiden hesitated, staring down at the injured Sandshrew. Glancing at the others, Aiden quickly took a potion from his backpack, bent down over the pokémon and started to spray its wounds.

"There you go," said Aiden as it started to pick itself up. "Feel better?" The Sandshrew looked up at him with curiosity, and then squeaked happily. Aiden smiled at it. "Good to hear. You take care of yourself, and try to stay away from trainers like them," said Aiden as he ran to catch up with the other trainers. The Sandshrew watched him fade into the darkness of the cave, then started to dig into the ground and disappeared.

* * *

Professor Conifer led the group through the winding tunnels, deep into the heart of the mountain. They saw very few pokémon as they walked, and even the few they saw were scrawny, weak creatures that fled as soon as they were spotted, fearful of the intruders. Eventually, their path led them to a huge, open cavern near the center of the mountain. Up above, they could see a hole in the ceiling that was opened up to the night sky, the silver light of the moon shedding dim light on the cave.

As Clyde and Aiden gazed up at the breathtaking view, Conifer and the others made their way to a large hole in the floor. Two thick ropes were anchored into the floor on one end with an iron spike, their lengths running along the ground and into the hole, disappearing into its dark depths.

"You're going to use these ropes to rappel into the lower cave system," said Conifer. "There should be some unfound specimens down there, so bring up any that you find."

"What exactly are we going to be looking for?" asked Aiden.

"Samples for my research on prehistoric pokémon," explained Conifer. "William and Otto have already accompanied me in expeditions to Hoenn and Sinnoh, so now I need some samples from the Kanto region. I'm most interested in Kabuto and Omanyte remains, so try to look for fossils shaped like a dome or a helix. Any questions?"

"What's the hell is a helix?" asked Clyde, and Conifer glared at him.

"I think I'm going to have a word with Elysia about who she associates with after this is all over," said Conifer with an exasperated sigh. "Are there any _intelligent_ questions? No? Okay then, good. William and Otto: you two will go down first. The kids will follow after you."

"Got it," said William as he and Otto returned their bulky pokémon to their poke'balls before they each took firm hold of a cord and started to descend. Clyde and Aiden watched as the older trainers slowly disappeared into the darkness. When they were gone from view, the younger trainers grabbed the ropes and started to lower themselves into the hole.

As they were hanging over the edge, Clyde began to chuckle.

"Do I want to know?" asked Aiden.

"We're spelunking," said Clyde with a grin as he started to walk down the edge of the hole, Gible holding onto his hair tightly. Aiden sighed, then followed after him, the light from the moon above slowly fading away.

"Crap," cursed Clyde as they were quickly enveloped by the pitch black darkness of the pit. "I can't see shit."

"Just turn on your light," said Aiden as the clicked a button on his poke'vice, and the screen emitted a bright glow that illuminated their surroundings.

"Oh," said Clyde as he did the same before continuing their descent. "That's useful." He looked down to see two glimmering specks, William and Otto shining like faint stars far below them. A few minutes passed, and the dim lights light at the end of the tunnel began grow brighter, until the bottom of the shaft finally came into view. A few more yards, and the two trainers emerged from a hole in the ceiling of another cave and climbed the remaining length of the rope down to the floor below.

William and Otto were already waiting with their pokémon out as Clyde and Aiden's feet at last touched solid ground.

"Okay then," said William. "Now that we're all here, let's get started."

"Okay," said Aiden. "Which way should we go?"

"Just follow us and keep quiet," ordered Otto as he started to march into the darkness.

"Yeah, I think I'm going this way instead," said Clyde as he started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Hey," objected Aiden. "Don't you think we should stick together?"

"Nah," said Clyde. "We'll cover more ground if we split up."

"But there's no telling what's down here," protested Aiden. "If Conifer wanted strong trainers, than that might mean—"

"Just let him go," said Otto as the glow from Clyde's poke'vice disappeared around the bend of a tunnel. "It'll be his fault if he gets in trouble."

"No, the kid's got a point," said William. "The lower caves aren't as safe as the upper levels. If his friend runs into something down here, then he's going to need more than just a Gible to deal with it. You might want to go after him." Aiden thought for a second, then sighed

"Yeah, I know," said Aiden reluctantly. "We'll meet you guys back here after we find something."

"You can do whatever the hell you want," grumbled Otto as Aiden followed after his friend. "I don't know what's wrong with Conifer, bringing kids along. They're so damn annoying."

* * *

"Fossils, fossils, fossils," Clyde muttered to himself as walked through the system of tunnels. "Dome and helix, dome and helix…hey, Gible, you got any idea what a helix is?"

"Gible," replied the pokémon from atop Clyde's head.

"Yeah, neither do I," admitted Clyde. "And a dome is like a…half circle…thing, right?"

"Gib."

"Yeah, I thought so," he said, shining his poke'vice up and down the walls as he walked. "I'm not seeing anything like that, though. I thought that Conifer said that there would be a lot down here or something? Hey, come to think of it, why isn't he down here looking for stuff too?"

"Gible," his partner said with an existential shrug.

"Lazy bum of a scientist," grumbled Clyde. "Never trust people who spend too much time thinking, Gible. It does something weird to your mind." He stopped abruptly, the path ahead of him suddenly blocked by a pile of boulders choking the tunnel. "Dammit, dead end. And how much do you want a bet that there are a whole shit-ton of fossils behind there?"

"Gib," agreed Gible.

"Yeah, well, we ain't gonna let a bunch of rocks stop us, are we mate?" said Clyde defiantly as he picked Gible off of his head and pointed the pokémon at the rocks. "Let's see what a dragon rage does, eh? Fire!" Gible took a deep breath, then blew out a swirling vortex of purple flames. The force of the blast buffeted the rocks, breaking the pile apart and sending shards of rocks and dust blowing through the tunnel in a swirling cloud, and the cave around them shook violently as part of its support was blown away.

* * *

Aiden tried to catch up to Clyde at first, but the tunnels quickly proved to be a maze, and after a few minutes of searching, he still had no idea which way Clyde had gone, and was now even unsure of how to get back. As the idea of being lost and alone in the dark, cold stone tunnel slowly began to gnaw through his nerves, he grabbed the poke'ball from his belt and released Charmander. His pokémon greeted him with a warm smile as it started to trot alongside him, its tail flame casting a soft light through the tunnel.

"Okay," said Aiden, the thought of trying to find fossils pushed from his mind by his current situation. "Let's see if we can figure out a way out of here." He tried to walk back the way he'd come, but was met with branching and intersecting paths that confused him endlessly. He tried to reorient himself, but found it impossible to do in the near featureless caverns. Then, it suddenly occurred to him to check the GPS on his poke'vice, only to see that it didn't receive a signal this far underground.

"Dang it," he cursed, and Charmander nuzzled his leg reassuringly. He gave his partner a pat on the head, and the pokémon smiled. "Don't worry, buddy. We'll find out way out."

Suddenly, the tunnels began to shake violently, and Aiden braced his self against the wall as dust and small rocks fell loose from the ceiling. The shaking lasted for only a few moments, but it rattled Aiden to his core.

"What was that?" he asked warily.

"Char," said his pokémon fearfully as it clung to his pants leg. The two stood silently still, every fiber of their body tensed as they braced themselves for the next tremor. A loud noise began to emerge from the tunnel ahead of them, and Aiden could feel vibrations traveling through the wall. Morbidly curious, he shined the light from his poke'vice into the darkness, only to revealing a moving wall of blue and purples bodies streaming towards him, their mouths emitting shrill shrieks.

"Crap!" screamed Aiden, his hands thrown over his face as the swarm of Zubats barreled towards him and Charmander. "Run!"

* * *

Otto held a large rock in his hand, turning it over as he inspected it for signs of preserved life. Finding none, he threw it into a pile as his Poliwrath knocked another large chuck of stone free from the wall. After looking at and discarding the new one, he grumbled in annoyance. "This place sucks," he complained. "It's already been pretty much picked over."

"Maybe we should go deeper?" suggested William as his Machamp tore down part of the wall, exposing the rocks underneath in their search for fossils.

"Hell no," said Otto. "This place is a friggin maze. I'm not about to get lost in there. Let those idiot kids get lost and starve to death."

"You know, you really should…" William started to say, but he stopped as he held up a hand to his ear. "Hey, do you hear that?" Otto started to listen intently, and sure enough, they heard a faint rumbling somewhere far off.

"The hell is that?" asked Otto as the sound gradually grew louder.

"I don't know," said William as everything around them started to shake violently. Near the other end of the cavern, the ground began to fracture, and large cracks began to run like a spider web across the ground, and large slabs of stone began to jut upwards.

"The hell is that?!" repeated Otto frantically as a large drill burst through the broken stone floor, and a loud roar shook the mountain.


	7. Mt Moon Part 2

Mt. Moon Part 2

Aiden ran heedlessly, the mass of Zubats nearly pushing him through the tunnels, his arms covering his face to protect him from the hysterical creatures. He was slapped, rammed, and scraped as the swarm fought him for space in the narrow passages. As he ran, his foot struck a rock in the floor, and he fell hard against the cold stone floor. He stayed motionless on the ground as the Zubats passed over him like a rushing torrent, a flood of leathery wings and screeching cries.

As the sound of the swarming pokémon died down, Aiden slowly lifted his arms off of his head and took a look around. His Charmander was curled in a ball by his side, trembling with its eyes shut tight. Its tail flame illuminating the small area around them, where the tunnel they had been following opened up into a larger cavern which was still mostly shrouded in darkness. He patted Charmander on the head reassuringly, then gingerly stood up and dusted himself off before turning on his the light on his poke'vice and began to shine it around the room.

He almost instantly regretted the decision as the light revealed a monster that glared at him with furious eyes.

The creature looked as though it were made of solid rock, its granite hide covered in thick, red slabs like plates of armor. Its arms were shaped like hammers, with stubby legs and a tail topped with a wrecking ball. It roared at the light flashed across its eyes, and it started to charge at Aiden, the massive drill on its nose lowered like a lance.

Instinctive fear gripped Aiden, and he quickly grabbed Charmander by the tail and ran out of the monster's path as it careened into the wall, tearing the stone apart with its drill. "The hell is that thing?!" yelled Aiden as he ran, pointing the sensor of his poke'vice at the creature as it slowly dislodged itself from the pile of rubble it had created.

"_Rhyperior, the drill pokémon_," said his poke'vice with an electronic voice. "_A male rhyperior has a larger horn than the a female's, which it uses to attract a mate._"

"I don't want to know about its breeding habits!" Aiden yelled at his poke'vice as he ran for his life. "I wanna know how to beat it!"

"_For its signature attack, Rock Wrecker, Rhyperior will load boulders into the holes in its palms and fire them like cannons_." Aiden looked over his shoulder to see the pokémon pick up a boulder and shove it into a hole in its palm before pointing its arm at him like a gun.

"Oh you have got to be kidding m—!" Aiden shouted as he leapt out of the way of the boulder that flew through the air like a cannon ball.

* * *

"Nice, mate!" said Clyde as he walked through the rubble that Gible's attack had strewn across the tunnel's floor. He bent over and picked up part of a large rock that had been cracked in half. The split had revealed something a spiral shell embedded inside the stone. "Well, this looks interesting."

"Gib," said Gible as he held up another rock for his trainer.

"Sweet," said Clyde as he took it and inspected the round shell set into the stone. "This is a dome, right? Now we just gotta find something that looks like a helix and we're good."

"Gib?" asked Gible.

"Yeah, it is hard to find something when you don't know what it looks like…Let's just give him this spiral thingy and hope Conifer likes it, neh?" he said as he shoved the two fossils into his backpack. "Alright then, let's get out of his pit. You remember the way out?"

"Gible!" affirmed the pokémon as Clyde picked it up and placed it on top of his head.

"Then lead the way, mate," he said as he started walking in the direction that Gible pointed.

* * *

Aiden threw himself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the hurled boulder. As he got to his feet, he looked back to see the Rhyperior panting with exertion, its arms hanging limply.

"Quick, Charmander, while he's worn out," ordered Aiden. "Use ember!" Charmander shot a stream of small flames at the wild pokémon, but the fires merely fizzled against its rocky hide. Rhyperior shrugged off the pathetic attack roaring furiously with renewed vigor as it began to charge once again. "Crap…"

Aiden started to run again, frantically trying to think of a way out of the situation, while the thunderous footfalls of the massive pokémon behind him made Aiden feel like as though he was being pursued by a living earthquake. He tried to think of anything he had that would save him, anything at all, when he remembered the gift that Clyde had given him early that day. With desperation, he took the new poke'ball from his belt, looked over his shoulder and said, "Well, here goes nothing." He released the pokémon and prayed to Arceus that it would somehow be able to save him from a grisly demise.

In a flash of white light, the pokémon emerged from the ball and began to flop about on the ground, desperately gulping for air. "Dammit, Clyde!" screamed Aiden. "This is even less than useless!" Behind him, the Rhyperior ignored the flailing red fish as it charged towards Aiden again, its horn spinning like a menacing drill as it closed in.

"Hydro pump!" someone shouted as a massive torrent of water impacted Rhyperior's side, sending it slamming against the wall. Aiden turned to see Otto and William running towards him from the other side of the room, Machamp running alongside its trainer while Poliwrath run to engage the wild pokémon head on.

"Great timing, kid," said William. "You made a good distraction."

"What the hell is going on?" asked Aiden, taking the free moment to return both his pokémon to their poke'balls. "Where did that thing come from?"

"How the hell would we know?" said Otto angrily. "The bastard just burst out of the ground."

"I think those tremors woke it up," suggested William. "But that's not important right now. We need to get out of here." While they had been talking, Rhyperior had risen to its feet to face the Poliwrath. The frog pokémon lunged forward, its fist surrounded by an icy mist, only to have Rhyperior back hand him with its large stone arm, sending it flying across the cave.

"Dammit!" cursed Otto.

"It just took a direct hit form a super effective attack, how is it still standing?" asked Aiden in frustration.

"_Rhyperior's special ability, Solid Rock, reduces the damage it receives from super effective attacks_," explained his poke'vice automatically.

"Oh come on!" Aiden yelled at his poke'vice. "That's not fair!"

"All the more reason why we need to get out of here," said William.

"Screw that!" refused Otto. "I'm taking this bastard down."

"No, we need to…" Aiden's voice drifted off as he saw Rhyperior shove two more boulders into its arms. "Get down!" he warned as another loud bang rang out through the cavern. He threw himself to the floor, narrowly avoiding another boulder. As he looked up, he saw that Otto had not been so lucky; the rock had hit him in the head, and everything above his shoulders was now splattered across the wall.

"Holy shit…" said Aiden faintly, his voice quivering with fear as the decapitated body slumped to the ground. "This is not happening…this is not happening…"

"Otto…dammit!" shouted William as he grabbed Aiden by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet. "Get up, kid. We've gotta get the hell out of here quickly, while it's recharging." Aiden hesitated, his gaze fixed on the corpse. "Snap out of it, kid!" shouted William, and Aiden finally tore his eyes away from the gruesome scene and followed William out of the large cavern and into a side tunnel.

"Which was are the ropes?" asked Aiden as they ran.

"I don't know," admitted William. "Otto left marks through the cave so we could find out way out, but hell if I know where they are now."

"This is not good," stated Aiden as an enraged roar echoed through the tunnel.

"We need to get out of here before it catches up."

"What about Clyde?" asked Aiden.

"Hopefully he's already out by now," said William. "If not…we don't have time to worry about him now."

"But…"

"Hey, mates, what's up?" asked Clyde as he materialized out of the darkness ahead of them. "Find any fossi—"

"Run kid!" yelled William frantically. "There's something after us?"

"Oh, sweet," said Clyde with an excited grin. "I was beginning to think this place was deserted. What are we up again—?"

"Just run!" said Aiden as he grabbed Clyde by the arm and started to pull him along.

"Hey!" said Clyde with annoyance. "Just what the hell is after you guys, anyways?" As if to answer the question, the cavern began to shake violently, and Clyde shined his poke'vice's light behind them to reveal Rhyperior charging towards them, its horn tearing through the tunnel's ceiling as it ran. "Oh…that," said Clyde. "Gible, hit it with dragon rage!"

"Gib!" shouted Gible before it fired a torrent of purple flames from its mouth. The fiery tornado hit the Rhyperior in the leg, tripping it mid step to send it crashing to the ground.

"Holy shit," said William in amazement as the massive pokémon groaned as it tried to pick itself back up. "The idiot actually did something. Machamp, use rock smash to cause a cave in!"

"Champ!" yelled the pokémon as it began to pummel the walls of the tunnel with its four fists, causing the cave to collapse and seal them off from the wild pokémon.

"That should buy us some time," said William as they listened to Rhyperior roar in frustration from the other side of the wall. "Now we just have to get back to the ropes. Clyde, do you know the way out?"

"Yep," said the trainer as he pointed to the pile of rubble. "That way. It was where I was headed before I ran into you guys."

"You have got to be kidding me," said Aiden. "Is there another way out?"

"No," said William solemnly. "Those ropes are the only way out."

"Hey, wait a second," said Clyde suddenly. "Where's the bald guy? Maybe he knows the way out?"

"That thing killed him," said William, and the fresh memories of the headless corpse made Aiden taste bile.

"Oh…well, I guess we're screwed then," said Clyde with a nonchalant shrug. "Only thing left to do is fight that monster to the death. You ready, Gible?"

"Gible!" shouted the pokémon enthusiastically.

"Will you start taking things seriously for once, Clyde!" yelled Aiden in frustration. "This isn't a game! One person is already dead, and we might be next!"

"All the more reason to enjoy the time we've got left, neh?" said Clyde with an eager grin, and Aiden covered his face in his palms.

"Please, Arceus," he murmured. "Not now…not like this."

"Hey," said William as he stared at a spot on the wall. "What's that?"

"What's what?" asked Clyde.

"It looks like there's…dirt coming out of the wall here," observed William as a small stream of loose soil started to seep out of the rock.

"What?" asked Aiden as he walked over to the curious area. As he leaned forward to inspect it closer, a small yellow and white head burst out of the rock, and Aiden jumped back. "Holy crap!" gasped Aiden, startled.

"Shrew," squeaked the newcomer as it dug the rest of its body out of the wall and plopped down on the floor in front of Aiden.

"Hey," said Aiden as he recognized the pokémon. "You're that the Sandshrew from earlier, aren't you?"

"Shrew!" it exclaimed happily.

"The hell?" asked William as the Sandshrew began to tug on Aiden's leg. "What is that thing doing here?"

"I think it wants to help," said Aiden, and the pokémon nodded. "Okay…but I doubt you can fight off that Rhyperior…" The Sandshrew shook its head, then pointed towards the small hole it had emerged from.

"Oh, I get it," said Clyde. "It's here to bust us out. Course, we're gonna need a bigger hole." He picked his pokémon up off his head and held him next to the hole the Sandshrew had come out of. "Dig us out of here, Gible!"

"Gib," said the land shark as it began to tear into the rock with its claws, enlarging the hole.

"That's great!" exclaimed Aiden. "Thanks!"

"Sand!" said the pokémon as it jumped back into the tunnel to help the other Gible expand the tunnel.

"Now that we don't have to sit around and wait to die" said Clyde as he began to crawl through the widened hole. "Now let's hurry up and get the hell out of here, eh?" As Aiden started to climb into the tunnel, a large horn burst through the pile of rubble as Rhyperior burst through the barrier.

"Shit," cursed William. "Hurry up, you guys! I'll try to hold him off: Machamp, use close combat!" The muscular pokémon rushed forward, driving its fists into Rhyperior body and knocking it back. The wild pokémon grunted loudly at it hit the ground, then picked itself up and charged. Machamp caught its horn, grabbing it with all four arms and stopping it in its tracks. "Go, go, go!" yelled William.

The two pokémon struggled against each other, pushing and straining to overcoming their opponent. As Machamp tightened its grip, Rhyperior growled angrily, and its horn began to spin. Machamp tried to hold it still, but the drill quickly tore through its hands. William watched in horror as Rhyperior pushed forward, driving its spinning horn into Machamp's chest. The effect was similar to putting a raw steak into a blender and leaving the lid off.

"Dammit!" shouted William as he hurriedly started to climb through the escape tunnel. "Move your asses!"

"We're going as fast as we can, dammit!" Clyde shouted back.

"Well tell those useless pokémon of yours to dig faster!" yelled William desperately as he looked over his shoulder and saw a large, furious eye staring at them through the hole. "Shit, shit, shit," he cursed frantically as Rhyperior reared back and rammed its horn into the tunnel.

William screamed as the spike stabbed into his leg. He tried to pull free, but the limb was pinned to the wall. "No, no, no, no!" he screamed as he grabbed Aiden's ankle. "Pull me free! Hurry!"

"Crap," said Aiden as he tried to pull the trapped man free.

"Hurry, dammit!" screamed William. "Hurry before he—!" Pain drowned out his words as Rhyperior's drill began to spin, snapping William's bones and wrapping his leg around the horn. His legs and hips started to curl, twisting his torso like taffy. As his grip on Aiden's leg went limp, William's entire body was pulled into the drill and torn apart.

Aiden watched the grisly scene in frozen terror as corpse debris were scattered through the tunnel, covering him with pieces of blood, flesh and bone.

"Aiden!" Clyde yelled to his near stunned friend. "Aiden! We've got to get out of here!" Clyde was forced to kick Aiden in the head to snap him out of his trance. "Move, dammit!"

"Right…" said Aiden weakly as he started to crawl again, the drill below him slowly churning the remains of William into a red, runny pulp.

* * *

After a few minutes of digging, Gible and Sandshrew broke ground, and the two boys finally managed to pull themselves onto solid ground just outside the entrance to Mt. Moon. There, they both collapsed, exhausted and covered in shredded gore.

"That…" said Clyde as he gasped for breath. "Sucked…" Aiden remained silent, robbed of his language by the horrifying visions that ran endlessly through his head. They sat there resting quietly, unable to move, until a figure emerged from the mouth of the cave and approached them.

"I told you to come back up using the ropes," said Professor Conifer, annoyed. "Just what the hell are you two doing here…and what are you covered in?" Then, he saw Aiden's pained face, and started to look around for the other trainers. "What happened down there?" he asked "Where are William and Otto?"

"They're dead," said Aiden quietly.

"I see," said Conifer as he adjusted his glasses. "So it goes. Did you get the fossils?"

"Will you listen for a second?" said Clyde angrily as he got to his feet. "There's this thing that's after us and—" He was cut short as something large and angry burst through the ground behind them with a bloodthirsty scream, its gaze quickly fixing on the two spent trainers.

"I see you disturbed something down there," observed Conifer coolly as he removed a poke'ball from his belt. Rhyperior let out a feral roar as it charged, and Conifer threw his ball towards it. "How annoying," said Conifer as the ball opened, releasing his pokémon. As the flash of light dissipated, it revealed a large dinosaur like creature with a wall of black iron for a head blocking the wild pokémon's path. Rhyperior tried to stab at the new threat with its horn, but the Professor's pokémon shrugged off the drill as though it were a stick.

"I don't have time for this," said Conifer. "Bastiodon, use metal burst to get rid of it."

"Bast," grunted the pokémon as its head began to glow before exploding in a burst of radiance the overwhelmed its foe. Rhyperior was blasted backwards as even the ground beneath it was blown away, and it fell into the collapsing pit of rock, into the depths from whence it came.

"What the…" gasped Clyde as Conifer casually returned his pokémon to its poke'ball. "Why the hell weren't you down there with us?!" asked Clyde angrily.

"Because I'm a scientist, not a trainer," explained the professor. "It was your job to do the grunt work. Now, where are my fossils?" Clyde let out a heavy sigh, then pulled two rocks out of his backpack.

"I found a dome one, but didn't see any helixes," he explained as he handed the samples to Conifer. "I thought this spiral thing looks cool, though. Hope it's useful."

"That is helix fossil, you idiot," said Conifer condescendingly. "A helix is a type of spiral."

"Then why the hell don't you just call it a spiral, then?" Conifer gave him a long, silent stare.

"Because I'm a scientist," said the professor. "Still, good job. I'll be sure that the reward is transferred to your accounts. Thank you for your help. You may go now." Aiden and Clyde watched in as the professor turned his back and walked away without another word.

"I don't like that guy," grumbled Clyde.

"Let's just get to Cerulean," said Aiden, but as he started to walk away, something nudged his hand. He looked down to see Sandshrew staring up at him with big, round, black eyes. "Oh, thanks again, little buddy. Do you wanna come with us?"

"Shrew!" the pokémon said happily.

"Alright then," said Aiden as he took out a new poke'ball and lightly tossed it at Sandshrew. As it bounced off, the ball opened, transforming the pokémon into light and sucking it inside of the container. "I'll make sure to repay the favor some day, I promise."

"Hey," objected Clyde. "That's cheating."

"What?" asked Aiden, confused.

"You didn't battle it and catch it!" explained Clyde. "You just befriended it! That's cheating! You can't do that!"

"I didn't catch the Magikarp either," said Aiden.

"Yeah, but that was different."

"How so? Because it's useless?"

"Hey, that was a gift, you ungrateful bastard! I paid good money for that!"

"Yeah, five hundred credits. And for a magikarp?"

"It evolves into Gyarados, mate! Those kick ass!

"It was useless back in the cave, though."

"That's cause you didn't use it right!"

"It's a fish: it can't fight out of water! It's just a heavy lump of bone and scales anywhere else!"

"Well _sorry_! If you don't like it, then I guess I'll take it back!"

"Hey, you gave it to me fair and square, so…"

Their argument were that of two bickering friends who had just barely escaped death, and their voices drifted on into the darkening sky as they made their way towards Cerulean City.


End file.
